​Formation of the Islamic Empires; The Mughals (759-762)

• Zahir al-Din Muhammad was known as Babur "the Tiger"
• Babur was a Chagatai Turk (EG)
• Babur made little pretense to be anything more (such as a ghazi or champion of Shiism EG) than an adventurer and soldier of fortune in the manner of his illustrious ancestors.
• Babur's father had been the prince of Farghana.
• Babur's great ambition was to transform his inheritance into a glorious central Asian empire
• With the help of gunpowder and weapons, Babur mounted invasions in 1523 and 1525, and he took Delhi in 1526.
• Babur however cared little for the land he had conquered.
• By the time of his death in 1530, Babur had built a loosely knit empire that stretched from Kabul through the Punjab to the borders of Bengal.
• He founded a dynasty called the Mughal, which expanded almost all the Indian subcontinent.

• Babur(JHO)

• He was the architect of the Mughal empire
• He was the grandson of Babur (EG)
• Ruled from 1556-1605
• "Gathered the reigns of power in his own hands" in 1561 after an argument with Adham Khan, commander of the Mughal army and a powerful figure at the imperial court, which ended up with Akbar throwing him out a window into the palace court yard after which Akbar dragged his body back up to the window and threw him out again just to make sure Adham was dead.
• Created a centralized administrative structure with ministries regulating the various provinces of the empire.
• His military campaigns consolidated Mughal power in Gujarat and Bengal.
• As well he set the foundation for Mughal expansion in Southern India.
• He pursued a policy of religious toleration that he hoped would reduce tension between Hindu and Muslim communities in India.
• Encouraged the elaboration of a syncretic religion called the "divine faith"
• "Divine Faith" focused attention on the emperor as a ruler common to all religions, ethnic, and social groups in India.
• He was illiterate which was probably due to dyslexia but he had books read to him daily (EG)

• Mughal Empire reached greatest extent under his rule.
• Aurangzeb ruled from 1659 to 1707 (EG)
• Waged a relentless campaign to push Mughal authority deep into Southern India.
• Greatly expanded Mughal boundaries, but ruled over a very troubled empire.
• Faced rebellion, religious tension that created conflicts between Hindus and Muslims.
• Aurangzeb was a devout Muslim and broke Akbar's policy of religious toleration.
• Demolished famous Hindu temples and replaced them with mosques.
• Imposed tax on Hindus in an effort to encourage them to convert to Islam.
• His promotion of Islam appealed strongly to the Mughals and other Indian Muslims, but caused hostility among Hindus and enabled local leaders to organize movements to resist or rebel against Mughal authority.

• Many similarities in development of Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal societies.
• All tried to maintain harmony in societies that had lots of different religious and ethinic groups.
• Rulers provided for the public welfare and associated themselves with literary and artistic talent.

• emperors owned all of the land and granted use of it to peasant families in return for taxes.
• Rulers commanded the armies.
• Warriors became sucessful leaders.
• Leaders wanted to extent their Islamic faith to new lands.
• Safavids were prominent leaders of a Sufi religious order.
• Ottomans and Mughals associated closely with famous Sufis.
• Sufism is based on purifyng oneself from inner fifth, turning ones heart away from all else but God, and possessing praiseworthy traits.
• Kanun- laws issued by Suleyman.
• Sometimes religion was forced upon people.
• Akbar issued a decree in 1579 that gave him autrhorit over religious matters.